DENDROGEOMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSES ON EXPOSED ROOTS ALONG TWO MOUNTAIN HIKING TRAILS IN THE CENTRAL ITALIAN ALPS

ABSTRACT. Mountain landscapes show rapid evolution, especially at high altitudes, in response to current climate changes. In addition, the greater number of routes and trails made available and the increase in tourism have caused some impacts on mountain areas. Gradual soil erosion has been observed along some hiking trails, with the latter tending to deepen, and with stronger erosion where the trail cuts the slope. Where trails cross forested areas, trees can suffer root damage from foot trampling as roots become exposed. A dendrogeomorphological study was conducted on trees along two hiking trails in upper Valtellina (Italian Alps). On the first trail, in Valle dei Forni, European larches and stone pines, mostly with exposed roots, were sampled. A mean erosion rate of 2.7 mm/a, related to deepening of the footpath, was obtained, and various degrees of root growth disturbance along the trail were observed. In particular, the growth of many sampled roots shows an increase in ring width corresponding with the moment when root exposure occurred, followed, after 3–5 years, by rapid growth suppression. The exposure of many roots has taken place since the 1980s. No significant variations in stem growth were observed, even when there were exposed and damaged roots. Along the second trail, in Valle Alpisella, exposed roots of mountain pines were analysed. A mean erosion rate of 3.2–3.7 mm/a, related to the escarpments bordering the footpath, was obtained, while no significant changes were detected in root growth.     

Fission track evidence for the Mesozoic Cenozoic tectonic uplift of Mt. Bogda, Xinjiang, Northwest China

1 IntroductionThe Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic evolution and ki-netics mechanism of the intracontinental orogen are thekey subjects of continental dynamics (Ma Zongjin andGao Xianglin, 2004) and the key to understanding theregional geological tectonics (Qia…     

南海西南部曾母盆地早中新世以来沉降史分析

采用回剥法和局部均衡模式研究曾母盆地早中新世以来的沉降史，并探讨了该盆地构造演化特征。曾母盆地自早中新世以来经历了17．5-11．6Ma、11．6-5．5Ma、5．5-3．0Ma和3．0-0Ma的4次快速沉降作用，其构造演化受控于曾母地块与南沙地块及婆罗洲地块的碰撞和盆地两侧的万安-卢帕尔断裂与廷贾走滑断裂的综合作用，可划分为南北双向挤压（晚始新世-早中新世）、走滑改造（中中新世-晚中新世）和区域沉降（上新世-第四纪）3个演化阶段。     

水库下游河流再造床过程中的河岸侵蚀

根据实测河道地形资料,分析了水库下游河床演变中的河岸侵蚀现象,包括不同横向边界约束条件、不同床沙组成和不同河型河段的河岸侵蚀的特征及规律。结果表明:①水库下游均会有河岸侵蚀发生,但初期一般以下切为主,后期以展宽为主。②对于横向边界约束较强的河段,河岸侵蚀相对较弱;相反,则河岸坍塌严重,河岸侵蚀强烈;③对不同的河床组成和边滩组成的河段:河床较粗特别是形成抗冲粗化层,且边滩组成较细的河段,河岸侵蚀现象非常剧烈;河床组成较细的河段,如果边滩抗冲性较强,则河岸侵蚀现象相对较弱,如果滩地组成较细、容易坍塌,河岸侵蚀也会较强;④不同的河型有着不同的河岸侵蚀现象。分汊河段以主汊为主;游荡段的游荡特性在初期受到抑制;弯曲河段的撇弯切滩现象较普遍。     

明代军事地理研究概述

军事地理是谋兵布防的平台。明代被迫在南北两条战线作战：北部沿长城一线防御少数民族南下；东南沿海抗击倭寇入侵。因此，明代格外重视军事地理的研究，研究成果丰硕，著述很多。概述明代军事地理研究成果，不仅是回顾历史，而是借鉴经验。一些著作中提出的御敌方略至今有参考价值。     

风沙起电的风洞实验研究

利用大型风沙物理风洞实验装置 ,模拟铺沙地面在不同风速条件下对不同粒径的沙样和混合沙的起电电场、电位和荷质比作实验测量。结果表明 :存在风沙起电效应。风洞内电场多为负极性 ,最大电场达到 - 2 9kV·m- 1 ,导线电位可达 12 0mV。沙粒越细 ,起电越强 ,且随风速增加而增大     

当代气候研究计划

就气候系统问题，国际上与气候及其变化有关的重要科学计划、尤其是气候变化及可预报性研究（CLIVAR）计划，作了简要介绍，同时还就气候预测问题作了讨论。     

Near-Wall Flow Development After A Step Change In Surface Roughness

An experimental study of the initial flow field downstream of a step change in surface roughness is presented. The roughness length of the downstream surface was approximately tenfold that of the upstream roughness and, unlike all previous studies, attention was concentrated on the roughness sublayer region beneath the inertial (log-law) region. The experiments were conducted at a boundary layer Reynolds number of about 6 × 10⁴ (based on layer thickness andfree-stream velocity) and around a longitudinal location where the (downstream) roughness length, z_o2, was about 1% of the boundary-layer thickness atthe roughness change point.The thickness of the roughness sublayer was found for the two roughness. It was observed that the vertical profiles of mean velocity and turbulence characteristics started to show similarity after about 160z₀₂ downstream of the roughness change. The presence of a shear stress overshoot is shown to depend strongly on the precise location (with respect to the roughness elements) at which the measurements are made and the thickness of the equilibrium layer is shown to be very sensitive to the way it is defined. It is demonstrated that the growing equilibrium layer has first to encompass the roughness sublayer before any thickness of inertial sublayer can be developed. It follows that, in somepractical cases, like flows across some urban environments, the latter(log-law) region may never exist at all.     

Laboratory Studies Of Wind Stress Over Surface Waves

Simultaneous laboratory observations of wind speed, wind stress, and surfacewind-wave spectra are made under a variety of wind forcing patterns using cleanwater as well as water containing an artificial surfactant. Under typical experimentalconditions, more than half of the total stress is supported by the wave-induced stressrather than by the surface viscous stress. When the surfactant reduces the shortwind-wave spectra, the wind stress also decreases by as much as 20–30% at agiven wind speed. When the wind forcing is modulated in time, the wind stresstends to be higher under decreasing wind than under increasing wind at a givenwind speed, mainly because the response of short wind-wave spectra to varyingwind forcing is delayed in time. These examples clearly demonstrate that therelationship between the wind speed and the wind stress can be significantlymodified if the surface wave field is not in equilibrium with the wind forcing.Next, we examine whether the wind stress is estimated accurately if the wave-inducedstress by all surface wave components is explicitly evaluated by linear superpositionand is added to the surface viscous stress. It is assumed that the surface viscous stressis uniquely related to the wind speed, and that the wind input rate is determined by thelocal, reduced turbulent stress rather than the total stress. Our wind stress estimatesincluding the wave contributions agree well with observed wind stress values, evenif the surface wave field is away from its equilibrium with the wind in the presenceof surface films and/or under time-transient wind forcing. These observations stronglysuggest that the wind stress is accurately evaluated as a sum of the wave-induced stressand the surface viscous stress. At very high winds, our stress estimates tend to be lowerthan the observations. We suspect that this is because of the enhancement of wind stressover very steep (or breaking) short wind-waves.